“I obviously didn’t think you’d be attacked right outside your school.”
“Obviously neither did I! Trust me, it was just as much of a shock to me in the moment.”
A heavy silence settles between us. Jin exhales and runs a hand through his hair as he finally stops pacing.
“You’re using a private driver from now on,” he says with finality.
It’s not a question; it’s a statement of fact.
A matter he’s already decided.
I want to argue or push back on it, simply out of sheer stubbornness. I’m not the most hardheaded person, but I can be when it feels like decisions are being made for me.
Yet I decide to let the issue go.
I’m pregnant and engaged. I’m about to be a mother and have to think about the baby first and foremost.
If the mugger had really used his blade on me, there’s a real chance he could’ve hurt the baby. Is it really worth being prideful about something like my commute to work when I can be safe and reasonable and accept the private driver?
“Okay,” I say quietly, setting down my phone. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s better if I let one of your men drive me.”
Jin crosses to me, kneeling in front of the couch so we’re eye level. He takes my hands in his, his thumb brushing over my engagement ring—still firmly on my finger, thank God.
“This will work out,” he says softly. The same gentleness he has only for me. “You’ll get to work faster. No subways or strange alleys. Just door-to-door service like you deserve.”
I smile a little. “Idodeserve to be waited on, don’t I?”
He chuckles then thumbs my cheek. “Yes, you do, Tokki-ya. I’ve told you you need to let me take care of you and our baby. What else am I for?”
My phone buzzes on the sofa cushion next to me. I glance at the screen and see Mom’s face lighting up the display.
“I texted her earlier,” I explain, reaching for it. “About the mugging. She’s probably freaking out.”
Jin’s expression suggests he understands exactly what I’m in for. He rises and moves toward the kitchen, giving me space.
I answer the call. “Hey, Mommy.”
“Monroe Marie Ross!” Mom explodes through the speaker, loud enough that Jin probably hears it from the other room. “Who tried to hurt my baby? Give me a name and an address, and I will fly to South Korea tonight and whoop his ass myself!”
“Mom, it’s handled. He’s in police custody.”
“Police custody? That’s not good enough! What if he gets out? What if he comes back?”
“He won’t. And besides, Jin’s arranging a driver for me. I won’t be walking alone anymore.”
She huffs begrudgingly. “Well… good. That’s the smartest thing I’ve heard all day.”
I smile despite myself. “I knew you’d approve.”
We talk for a few more minutes; my mother’s concern gradually mellowing into her usual sparkling warmth. It’s as the conversation winds down I realize maybe it’s time I stop putting off the big news I’ve kept hidden from her.
“Mom,” I say, “I have something to tell you.”
“What is it, baby?”
I draw a breath, then go for it. “Your baby is going to have a baby.”
She releases an instant squeal that’s so loud I have to hold the phone away from my ear.
